Light



Sept. 12, 1933. s FLQRADAY I 1,926,377

LIGHT Filed July 13, 1931 I ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED s'rAT s LIGHT Burton S Floraday, Toledo, Ohio, assignor. to l The Dura(Lor'npany, Toledo, Ohio, 'a corporation of Ohio Application lllly l3 l93l. Serial No. 550.551 6 Claims. (Cl. 240-40.)

The invention relates to. lights and refers more particularly to lights of the self-contained unit type comprising a casing, a light bulb, a

N battery and a switch for controlling the illumination of the bulb. The invention has for one of its objects to so construct the light that it may be manufactured atrelatively low cost. Another object is to so construct the light that the ,7 bulb, the guard for the bulb and the battery may be readily removed and replaced, if desired. A further object is to so construct the light that a single member serves to retain the bulb and the bulb guard in place in the casing, to hold a terminal of the battery in contact with a terminal of the bulb and to retain the closure member for the casing in place in the casing. Still other objects are to provide a simple construction of switch and to so construct the closure member that it forms the suport for the switch. These and other objects of the .invention will become apparent from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing-in which i Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a light showing an embodiment of my inven tion;

Figure 2is an enlargedcrosssection through the lower portion of Figure 1;

Figure '3 is a bottom plan view thereof;

- Figure 4 is a cross section. on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

' FiguresS'and 6 are cross sections, respectively, on the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Figure 4 and showing the movable contact member in different positions of adjustment.

The light has themetallic casing 1 which comprises the tubular standard 2 and the hollow base 3 integral with the lower end'of thestandard and flared outwardly and downwardly therefrom. This casing is formed from a single sheet metal blank by drawing operations. '.The upper end of the standard has the inwardly extending annular flange 4 for engaging the outwardly extending annular flange 5 of the guard 6,which latter is designed to protect the light bulb land is in the nature of a glass dome extending over and spaced from the bulb.

' 8 is an electric battery within the standard 2 and formed in the present instance of two dry cells, the upper of whichhas its central termi-.. nal in engagement with the central terminal of the bulb 7. This battery is yieldably forced toward the bulb by means of the metallic .coil spring 9; which has itsupper convolutionin engagement with the lower face of the lower cell.

of the bulb upwardly beyond the'standard. The

10. is a metallic member carrying. the bulb 7 and formed of a wire'having the convolutionsll of smaller diameter forming threads for cooperating with the threads upon the base of the bulb and the convolution 12 of larger diameter form- 0 ing a base for slidably engaging the standard 2 and exerting a limited amount of frictionfor normally holding the bulb carrying member in place in the standard. The larger convolution 12- is located within the standard below the annular flange 5 of the guard and the smaller convolutions 11 have their common axes extending transversely upwardly from the larger convolution to thereby locate the illuminating portion outer terminal of the bulb is electrically-connected through the carrying member to the standard. v

For controlling the illumination of the bulb 7, I have provided a switch which comprises the movable contact member. 13 and the stationary contact member 14. :15 is'the support for the switch and comprises the upper andlower, spaced sheet metal .plates 16 and 1''! which are substantially parallel and are insulatably secured to each other. More specifically, the upper plate 16 has the legs 18 terminating in the foot flanges 19. 20 is an insulator member in the nature of adisk. This insulator member is secured to the under sides of the foot'flangeslQ by suitable means, such as the integral rivets 21 formed in the foot flanges, the lower plate 17 being apertured so that it will not contact with these rivets. I At points intermediate the rivets the insulator member is securedto the lower plate 17 as by means of the integral rivets 22 upon the lower plate. The upper plate carries the movable contact member 13 and this contact member specifically is a resilient pivotal metal member adapted to swing about the pivot 23 formed integral with the upper plate 16. The stationary contact mem ber 14 is an integral part of the lower plate 17 and is located at the inner edge of the arcuate slot 24 formed in the lower plate and concentric with the pivot 23. The stationary contact member has the contact portions 25and' 26 which are located at difierent elevations with the Iormer preferably higher than the latter and near one end of the slot 24. The insulator member 20 is cut away at 27 so that the pivotal contact member may engage either of these contact portions. At the opposite end of the slot the insulator member, however, is not cut away, so that when the pivotal contact member is at this opposite end dropped and hits upon its guard.

lower plate is slightly out awayto provide clearance for inserting the lower plate into the base. The lower edges of the flanges 29 are preferably notched with the notches of a length equal' to the length of the flanges 28, so thatrafterthe lower plate has been inserted and then rotated to bring the flanges 28 and 29 into registration and when the lower plate is in its lowermost po sition the shoulders formed by notching the lower edges of the flanges 29 engage the ends of the flanges 28 and hold the lower plate from rotation. It will be seen that this lower plate is normally held in its lowermost position by the coil spring 9 and that this coil spring, in addition, holds a terminal of the battery: against a terminal of the bulb and yieldably retains the bulb and its carrying member and the bulb guard in their outermost positions in the standard and functions as a cushion in the event that the light is The lower plate 1'7 is provided with the bosses 30 which are angularly spaced and which have secured thereto the pads 31 preferably formed of rubber. These pads are adapted to engage the support, such as a table, for the light and to carry thelight when at rest.

For actuating the movable or pivotal contact member, there is the down-turned finger 32 formed integral with and-at the end of this contact member and preferably having its lower end U-shaped. This finger extends through the armate slot and its height is such that when the movable contact member registers with the contact portion 26 and the light is resting'upon its support this flnger'engages the support and holds the contact member in a position raised above this contact portion, so that it does not electrically contact with the same and, as a result, the bulb is not illuminated. However, it is apparent that if the light is raised from its support the movable contact-member then engages the contact portion 26 and the bulb is illuminated. The contact portion 25 is elevated above the contact portion 26 a sufiicient distance such that whenthe light rests upon its support and the movable contact member registers with the contact portions 25 the actuating finger clears the support so that the electrical connection between the movable contact member and the elevated contact portion" 29 is not broken, so that the bulb will remain'illuminated regardless of whether it is resting upon a support or being carried. When the movable contactmember occupies the third angular position of adjustment so that it engages the insulator member between the upper and lower plates of the switch support, the finger clears the support when the light isresting upon this support and the bulb is held from being illuminated by reason of the electrical connection being broken, even when the light is raised from the support.

The base 3 has the angularly j the ready removal and replacing of the light bulb,

the light guard and the battery, if desired, and that the construction of light is such that the illumination; of the bulb may be automatically controlled, if desired.

' What I claim as my invention is:

1. A light, comprising a casing, a light bulb on said-casing, a switch at one end of said casing comprising a; pivotal contact member and a stationary contact member, said stationary contact member'having contact portions at different elevations for alternative engagement with said pivotal contact member upon swinging of the latter, and a support for said switch secured to said casing.

= 2. A light, comprising a casing, a light bulb on said casing, a switch at one end of said casing comprising a pivotalcontact member and a stationary contactmember, a support for said switch comprising spaced plates. secured to each other, and an insulator member between said plates, said pivotal contact member being movable to a series of angularly spaced positions relative to said stationary contact member and in one position being engageable with said insulator member and said stationary contact member having a plurality of angularly spaced contact portions engageable with said-pivotal contact member and located at different elevations. I

3; A light, comprising a casing, a light bulb on said casing, a battery within said casing, and a switch for controlling the electrical connection of said bulb and battery, said switch comprising a pivotal contact member adapted to be moved to various angularly spaced positions, and a stationary contact member having contact portions at different elevations for alternative engagement with said pivotal contact member, means connected to said pivotal contact member .and engageable with a support upon which said casing may rest to hold said pivotal contact member out of engagement with one of saidcontact portions, said means being inoperative to move said pivotal contact member out of engagement with another of said contact portions when said casing rests upon the support.

44A light, comprising a light bulb havinga base portion, a source of electrical energy, an electrical connection between the bulb and source having a switch comprising a pivotal contact member and a stationary member having a contact portion, means for normally holding said contact members into engagement with each other, means upon said pivotal contact member fashioned to project below the supporting surface of the base of the light when said pivotal member is in contact with the aforesaid stationary contact portion whereby said pivotal contact member is held out of engagement with the aforesaid stationary contact portion when the'base of the light is in tion aforesaid a distance sulficient to provide for locating the means aforesaid on the pivotal member above the supporting surface of the base.

5. A light, comprising a casing having a base portion, a light bulb on said casing, a switch at one end of said casing comprising a pivotal contact member and having a portion normally extending below the support engaging surface of the base aforesaid, and a stationary contact member having contact portions at different elevations for alternative engagement with said pivotal contact member upon swinging of the latter to permit completion of the circuit to the bulb in the aforesaid normal position of the pivotal member and also in a position of the latter wherein the said portion of the same is spaced above the support engaging surface of the base.

6. A light, comprising a casing, a bulb on said casing, a bulb guard on said casing, a battery within said casing, a switch also located within the casing and having relatively movable contact members,-a support for the switch detachably secured to said casing, and common means for retaining said guard in place, holding a terminal member of said battery in contact with a terminal of said bulb, retaining said support from accidental disengagement from said casing, and urging said contacts into engagement.

BURTON S. FLORADAY. 

